Journal Entry. 1 Gennaio 2017 (January 1, 2017) – Milano Day 3 of a cold that has kept me layin’ low. Enforced rest. Certainly no kicking-up-my-heels last night. By 8:30 p.m. I was yearning for sleep. New Year’s Eve, 2009/2010 I stayed at home here, …

How many times has someone said to me with a sneer, “Oh… Milan. It’s so gray and industrial.” They turn up their noses and dismiss it as merely a place to fly into as they transfer to their “real” destinations. Yes. Milan is a major international, cosmopolitan …

High on a hill is the town of Assisi, home of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, born in 1181, later known as Saint Francis, “San Francesco d’Assisi“. But Francesco, one who relinquished all his worldly goods for a life of poverty and simplicity, would rail at the Assisi of today, …

Our first stop on our road trip through Umbria, the region landlocked in the middle of Italy: Città di Castello – City of the Castle. Which “castle” they’re referring to, I’m not quite sure, although the Palazzo Vitelli, built in 1500, sure adds grandeur and …

When friends start planning their trips to Italy, they immediately think of going to Tuscany – Toscana. And when they ask me about my time in Italy, they often say, “Oh! Like Under the Tuscan Sun! Or Eat, Pray, Love!” No… and no. I think …

Stormy, wild wind and rain last night here in Milano. End of summer, early fall. But I arrived four days ago to a day that was fresh and bright and comfortable. The kind of day that makes one relax into the perfection of the moment. I …

For the record, “Italian Food” is SO much more than pizza, spaghetti, ravioli and fettucine alfredo. In fact, “fettucine alfredo” doesn’t exist except in the restaurants catering to tourists away from home looking for their favorite edible myth. Hold your hand up in front of …

Hand-sewn, vintage linen is not enough to help stay cool close to midnight on what was a 95-degree day with high humidity, now the windows closed up tight to keep the mosquitoes out, and a pair of fans pointing straight at me. Choose: be kept awake …

What tour of New York City would be complete without a tour through meat-lover’s shrine, Katz’s Delicatessen, at 205 East Houston Street? Just walk through the door and you’re handed a number. Get in line. Sit down and really fill up, or take it …

My perception of the enormity, diversity, energy and intensity of New York had felt daunting all these years, so I had never gone. “Oh, I can’t just go to New York for a couple of days. How can I even begin to make a dent in …

If you’re heading toward Venice (Venezia), veer a little north to the charming town of Treviso (Tray-vee-zo). A canal-town much like Venice, inland and smaller scale, Treviso is not overrun with tourists so you get more of the flavor of small-town Italy. Wander around the …

Journal Entry – 2 June, 2013 – Milano Early Sunday morning and I’ve opened up the house to the first warm breeze since I arrived two weeks ago. Perhaps it will take the stone chill away so a borrowed, heavy wool sweater is no longer …